Bogwraith
:"Only when all one has left is hunger, will they and the bogwraith fly as one." Skills ;Pressure Blast The breath of a Bogwraith is so foul that riders often wear masks lest the choking gases burn their flesh as well. ;Delicate Egg The Bogwraith lays a number of false eggs that explode on contact with an enemy, and trigger other nearby as well for a chain-reaction. Lore The swamps of Mephos are avoided by most, and with good reason. Long has it been known that these dark swamps are a breeding ground for the virulent noxwing brood, but few alive have seen their primary predator, the bogwraith. This brood has only ever been described in the fever addled accounts of a scattered handful of survivors, nearly all of whom died shortly after recounting their experiences. Eyes wide, lips bloody with jungle malady, these hapless victims tell a gruesome tale. The secretive bogwraiths hunt in the night, they say, the bloated drakes' ghoul-flesh glistening with slime in the moonlight. The creatures are said to lurk under dank shelves of rock or peat at the edge of deep pools during the day, only creeping out of the depths when the duskstar is high. But when they are on the hunt, say these witnesses, the bogwraith's bloodlust is terrible to behold. Though the stinking behemoths will eat all manner of filth and carrion, scavenged from the swamp floor, a bogwraith's preferred diet consists of their cousins and neighbors, the noxwing. Of all creatures on the World, it seems that the bogwraith alone is immune to the baneful poisons of that foul brood of drakes. After slipping into the acrid slime of a noxwing breeding pool, a lone bogwraith will often devour an entire clutch. Their charnel breath paralyzes the young noxwing and sickens the old, allowing the bogwraith to settle in and devour the nest's inhabitants at the gruesome creature's leisure. A large nest might take days for the bogwraith to consume, and the carrion-beast will retreat to the murky bottom of the nest while the dawnstar rides the sky only to return at dusk and continue the grim feast. All adult bogwraiths can produce eggs, and each, having thoroughly devastated a noxwings' pool, will then leave behind a sickly cluster of its own in place of those it destroyed. These eggs are more than they appear, though. Two out of three of what appear to be bogwraith eggs are, in truth, a cruel ruse. These deceitful ova are a trap for any swamp creature that may attempt to claim the newly claimed nest, or disturb the bogwraith young incubating within the real eggs hidden in their midst. The impostor shells contain a thin, volatile gas that explodes into the air when the brittle husks are bumped or jostled. Worse, the shock from one such outburst is often sufficient to rupture those surrounding it, resulting in a choking, fiery mist that burns away flesh and tears at the offending beast's lungs. As a result of this twisted subterfuge, those few bogwraith that later hatch from the legitimate eggs left behind most often find a decomposing treat conveniently arranged for their first meal. Bogwraiths do not stay in the nest long, they are solitary hunters and fiercely territorial. Before they reach adolescence, bogwraith young will naturally begin to fight over space until each is forced to leave the nest to find ranges of their own, or is devoured by their former nest mates. This inborn ferocity makes the bogwraith a terrible foe, but their blind barbarity also makes them too volatile mount for many Riders in the Battles Above. Those grim souls that do brave the unbound savagery of these bloodthirsty devourers are often wild creatures themselves, souls long seared from their hulls by battle. In fact, it is a common adage amongst the old Riders that "Only when all one has left is hunger, will they and the bogwraith fly as one." And when a wraith's hollow hunting cry moans throughout the battlefields above the clouds, indeed this seems true. Tips *'Get personal' - The Bogwraith's Charnel Gasp has a chance to explode against your target for additional damage. The longer you can keep your breath on an enemy, the more chances you'll get to explode! *'Put an egg on their face' - The Bogwraith's Odious Ovum isn't just a great way to get enemies off of your six, it's also a good trap to set on popular routes, or around high profile targets! Lay eggs on the way to a target to trap them in a chain reaction. Skins Media Category:Dragons